Lore (Spoilers)
This section describes various items and tidbits of information gleaned from the party throughout their adventures. Beyond here there be spoilers! If you are not part of the original Roll20 campaign group, do not read any further Items Idol of the Minotaur Mother This is an obsidian idol, roughly 10" tall, of a female minotaur with hands clasped as if in prayer. The idol has emerald eyes and copper accoutrements for bracelets, necklaces and anklets. terms: the idol does not radiate magic. This was proven in "[[Episode 1: "Your Mission ... and Yeah, You Have to Accept It"|Your Mission ...]"] This idol is clearly of minotaur origin (their island is a major source of both obsidian and copper), but if it is, that would make this to be a very ''rare item, indeed. Minotaurs are ''very ''protective of their culture and ''do not ''sell their art objects to outsiders. The idol is currently in the possession of Ea-Nasir, the head of the Ahti-Wagrah guild in Ag-Rakade (after the events in "Your Mission ...") During Episode 1, this idol was used as a ruse to test the party's ability to infiltrate the Dii'Duuresu guildhall. Cloak of Barkskin This is a rough cloak, with the texture and appearance of loose burlap. It was gifted to Shoklen by the Dryad By the River during "Things That Go Bump in the Daylight". terms: cloak endows the wearer with ''barkskin, ''per the spell, as long as it is worn. Does not stack with armor or any spell effect that replicates armor. Dwarven Daggers Two daggers confiscated from the wizard Attil'Kusu during "Things That Go Bump in the Daylight". They are finely made daggers, of dwarven manufacture, with fine green leather wrappings around the handle. One was given to Dylan, the other was given to Ket-Ramat during that adventure. terms: +1 daggers. Ring of Nergal A ring of soft steel with a carving of a skull on the band and set with a red garnet gem. Found on the body of the creepy necromancer during "Sticks and Bones", this is a symbol of someone who has studied the dark (and shunned) arts of necromancy under mages devoted to Nergal, god of the underworld. terms: nonmagical, worth 105gp. Necromancer's Spellbook The spellbook of the creepy necromancer defeated during "Sticks and Bones", this "book" is really a sheaf of papers, rolled up and tied with a black leather thong. This spellbook is written in an extremely difficult script, easily readable only by the owner. It is currently in possession of Lugal, the Mage of Learning from Ag-Rakade. He's managed to decode portions of it, learning a handful of spells and these few bits of lore: * There is a theory of necromancy that apparently originated in Dashte-Kair. The theory, which the creepy necromancer labeled as "familialcy", suggests that a necromancer can influence another's actions through arcane spells cast upon the bones of the victim's ancestor. This seems far-fetched, but it does explain the actions taken by this particular necromancer in "Sticks and Bones". * The necromancer wrote at great length about the Planar Boundary, a theoretical barrier between the Prime Material Plane (the physical world) and the other planes. All magic passes through this boundary today, but only in the form of arcane or divine energy (from the Elemental Planes of Air, Earth, Fire & Water for wizards; and from the Outer Planes, homes of the gods, for clerics). She discusses a theory she heard at a conclave in Jow-Hadan (a coastal nation-state along the Ter-Mith Bay known for its great libraries). This theory, proposed by a humble librarian, states that the Planar Boundary is capable of being disrupted, or perhaps even broken, through the use of powerful magic. The exact nature of this magic is still unknown, for this is only a theory, however she is clearly afraid of this happening. She suspects any disruption of this barrier would result in the end of the world which, uncharacteristic for a necromancer, is something she is VERY afraid of. * One particular passage eludes to the ability to pass through the very ether, teleporting from one location to another. "It is a powerful magic, of course, but it should not even be possible. One cannot warp space in such a manner! But to be able to do such a thing would be tremendously useful in battle, or in crowded markets. Apparently the snake-people of the Tsana know how this is done, or at least so I was told by the merchant. I'm not entirely sure I trust him, he treated me kindly and fairly. Never trust anyone who treats you fairly. It means they're hiding something. On another note, I've been smelling toast all day, and I'm not sure why." * Another passage: "When I told the guards at the Badlands outpost about my fascination with the undead, one of them told me there's a lifeless, dry, abandoned village nearby where the dead do not walk the land, instead they float over it! Apparently travelers who are caught unawares disappear near there, never to be seen again. The guards advise people heading west to walk through the first night and rest later, simply so they are not near the village when they sleep. I MUST visit this place, it sounds delightful!" It is likely the party encountered this village during "Piss & Vinegar" * There is one last passage that can be decoded: "The old man kept telling tales of the cat-men. 'Cat-men, cat-men, cat-men, that's all he talked about. Cat-men who didn't belong on this world, which doesn't make any sense to me. How can something ''on this world not be from this world? 'Cat-men are pulling the strings' he says. What does that even mean? He clearly was crazy as a loon. Ooh, got to go. There are squirrels in the back yard, reading poetry." [Game terms: PC needs to spend a minimum of 24 hours studying the book before even having a chance to decode. With no adventuring, PC can spend 8 hours a day studying it. While traveling or working (militia patrols, etc.), PC can spend 4 hours a day studying it. While adventuring, there's no time to spend, PC is simply too busy memorizing spells, keeping watch, or simply resting and recuperating from battle. After first 24 hours are spent, PC can make an Arcana check. Every four hours of study after that PC can make another Arcana check. Target DC = 25. Spells like comprehend languages add a +5 to the roll (it helps decipher the script, but there is also a portion of the code that's tied to the nebulous sanity of the author). If the PC befriends another necromancer, he or she can advise. This will offer +2 to an Arcana check. The first successful Arcana check means the PC has had a "eureka" moment and cracked the general code. From this point on, the PC can decode one spell or clue a day. It takes 4 hours to do so, the new target DC is 15, which must be made for each spell or clue. Note the PC is going into this blindly, something decoded can actually be a curse.] = Baneberry Trumpeters Baneberry trumpeters are dangerous flowering plants. In appearance, they resemble lily plants with cone-shaped flowers, white with red spots. These plants are apparently the resulting of cross-breeding standard white lilies, baneberry bushes (bushes whose red berries can cause coma-like sleep when ingested) and needle palms (date palms that shoot needles during the fruiting season as a defensive mechanism). They can shoot out darts that, if striking true, can put a person in a coma-like sleep. It is entirely possible the resulting sleep eventually results in a form of plant-human hybrid. This not a true undeath, it is a form of plant/human hybrid that results in zombie-like behavior. These baneberry zombies have been encountered in the vicinity of these baneberry trumpeter plants. Axe of the Moon The Axe of the Moon is a well-made battleaxe with two metals, silver and black, wrapped around the handle in a spiral. It was recovered by Shoklen in the Barrow of the Moon Druid, and later given to Vjor'Kul. The abilities of this axe are as yet unknown. Scroll of the Moon Servant The Scroll of the Moon is actually several highly detailed sheets of papyrus, curled up in a metallic scroll tube comprised of silver and black metal bands wrapped in a spiral pattern. It was recovered by Vjor'Kul in the Barrow of the Moon Druid. He has yet to study these documents to discern their contents. Marble Mastodon The marble mastodon is a small, 2-pound marble statuette of an elephant. Underneath, carved in dwarven runes, is the word "conquer". If held while speaking the code word, the statuette rapidly grows into a giant mastodon, wearing netting and a saddle on its back. Whoever sits at the front of the saddle can command the mastodon's movements and actions. The party recovered it from an attacking band of xvarts during the events of "The Wooly Blues", but lost it during the gnoll raid in "Gnarly Gnolls Gnashing". Ahti-Wagrah Signet Ring and Gemekaa's Note This thick steel ring has a dark green gem and the symbol of three interlaced coins etched on the side. This ring grants a +1 bonus to any saving throw. The ring is an obvious symbol of the Ahti-Wagrah merchant's guild, and is only worn by its senior management, who will ''not ''take kindly to imposters. Lugal was given it after the gnoll battle as described in "Interstitials, Caravansaries and Thesauri". He was also given a note from the merchant Gemekaa. This note, if presented to a senior member of the Ahti-Wagrah, should grant a favor, assuming it is presented with respect. Gimble's Silver Raven This ''figurine of wondrous power ''was given as a reward to Gimble for services rendered during his adventuring years. This small silver figuring can become a full-sized raven for up to 12 hours. It can't be used again until two days have passed. While in raven form, the figuring can receive animal-related spells such as ''animal messenger. ''The raven can also respond to Gimble's commands, and Gimble can understand it's cawing. Note when the raven is in it's full size, it is still silver (and therefore may be easy to spot). Attack stats are per Monster Manual page 334, however on a critical hit the victim must make a DX save vs. DC 10 to avoid being blinded in one eye. This item is slightly modified from its official description in the DMG. Heart of the Earth The Heart of the Earth is an immense gem, hidden in the rock behind the Quarry Mages' tower. Nearly 100' in diameter, the stone consists of gold and grey striations, separated with a silvery substance that glows in the dark like moonlight. It resembles tiger eye. The gem was being mined by the slaves of the Quarry Mages and shipped to an unknown location. It is apparently revered by the kenku, the quarry was established on their ancestral homeland. Mysterious Manacles These silver manacles were used to restrain the cleric, Craganor, during his time with the Quarry Mages. They apparently are able to block clerics off from their deities in the heavens, stripping them of their powers and abilities. This can be traumatic for a cleric, and can easily cause madness. After he picked the lock and removed them from Craganor, Daric stowed them in his backpack ("Raging at the Heavens"). Return to the Main Page Category:Lore